Faline

Her voice is low, tickling across my skin. I turn my head and find her standing just in and to the side of the door, hands on her hips with brows raised. I smile at her.

"Just lucky I guess. I could turn that around though and ask why you're always around when I make someone bleed."

Her face smirks at me, her dual eyes rising to Nicolaus who's sitting next to me, eyes narrowed as he looks at me. Oh boy. The older healer woman is looking at me, I just give her a lopsided grin.

"No worries, no brain bleed this time. Just feel like I've been someone's punching bag. Must be my karma from earlier."

I keep to being flippant and oblivious, it's done me well so far. The woman smiles and bows low to me. My eyes go to the small, scared coyote huddling against the wall.

"I'm fine Maii, it's okay."

His ears perk forward as he slowly unfolds himself. The Lady of the house looks down to him the same time I do, then her eyes rise to mine, curiosity in her face. I'm guessing Anthony is somewhere behind me since I don't see him, or I'm just catching an old scent.

"You going to explain what that was all about? You've done it twice now if I've heard right."

She asks, but I don't think she's really expecting an answer, so I only give a vague one. Sort of.

"Would you believe me if I said I have no idea? Never happened before I came here. Maybe it's something in the air?"

I just get a shaking head in response as she walks out, but I see the grin on her face as she leaves. Once out, she calls to Maii, who looks to me first. Not wanting him to get in trouble, I nod for him to go.

He goes, but not like he wants to. Poor kid. Not like I can do anything for him right now though. Still have to clear things with the woman about Kerry.

Might send the submissive, Avina, for her later though, after I've gotten some sleep. Yet to my surprise, the Mistress comes back in before getting too far. Her arms crossed casually in front of her.

"By the way, the man you...re-corrected, earlier, has been dealt with and will no longer be a problem. Avina is mine, but I shall assign both Kerry and Maii to you for the time being. Since Nicolaus seems to be so busy with other things lately that he can't look after his own Kitten, they shall be with you to prevent any more trouble."

I scoff, but instantly shut up at her look. Nodding, I lay my head back down. She leaves again, this time the old woman following her out. The door is shut and I stay where I am, knowing what's coming.

"The name you called out, that is your sister's name. Care to explain?"

Yep, knew it.

"Not really, no."

My ankles are grabbed and I'm flipped onto my back, I sit up hurriedly, not wanting to be flat on my back in his presence. The hands gripping my legs pull me closer to him, orange eyes blazing at me.

"Anthony, will you go check on how business is going? We may have hit another snag."

His wolf nods and leaves, a smirk on his face. My mind starts whirling, the last time he'd said something along those lines and in that tone, he'd sent his dog after Kierra.

Could it be his business this whole time has been sending people after her? My eyes narrow at him. His attitude has been changing, but after going through my sister's rape with her, he's been off. His mind seems to be on other things a lot lately. Something's going on, and when I'd asked him about his 'business', his whole demeanor had changed. Emotion is curling in my gut, but I can't identify what exactly it is.

"Nicolaus? What have you done?"

His slit eyes dilate at me as his face closes down. My belly clenches hard.

"I was starting to place trust in you, please tell me you haven't been making a blind fool of me."

My voice catches. It's true though, for some reason, I've been starting to trust him. Maybe not in him so much as that he wouldn't be hurting me like he did before.

He's been kind to me lately, bordering on gentle even. Protecting me from others as well as his dog. By the unguarded look on his face as it falls, I know that I've been fooling myself.

I turn my face away as my eyes fill with tears, pulling at my legs which he miraculously lets go of. Moving off the bed and walking away, I keep my back to him, not even caring that I have nothing on to cover me.

All this time and he's been smiling in my face while he sends people out to kill my sister. I should have known. My eyes shut tight and squeeze down. I should have known by the looks Anthony had been giving me that something was going on. Maybe I did know and just didn't want to see what was staring me right in the face this whole time. The whole thing makes my brain, as well as my body, hurt as everything clenches.

I can feel him getting off the bed and coming closer to me, I whirl around and look at him, tears falling. He draws back in shock, having started to reach for me. I have to clear my throat, but even after I do, it still feels tight.

"Thank you. Thank you for reminding me that Vampires are not things to be trusted, no matter how fond you may become of them."

Nicolaus reaches out again, but I shift to my cat. Shrinking down fast and out of his reach as I dart across the room away from his grabbing hands. He comes after me, and it's not like I have a lot of choices, so I hunker down in a corner and hiss at him, warning him away with clawed swipes.

The messed up part is the expression on his face; he looks confused. Is he really so far out of reality that he does not even realize...everything? Everything being so many different things that I don't even know where to start.

He had to know I was warming up to him. For God's sake, I kissed him back! My undead heart clenches so hard that I wished it didn't beat at all.

How could he not know that if I were to find out, that I would treat him any differently? Did he think I would totally forget about my family and just run off with him?

It would appear he had.

The man keeps reaching, so I keep swiping. It looks like he's talking to me, but there's so much going on in my head that I can't even hear him. My ears pull back hard as I hiss and snarl at him, tail tucking tight and close to my body.

My shame rivals my anger, not just at him, but at myself. At this whole fucked up situation. Orange eyes start to get angry, but I could care less. Deliberately remembering everything I've gone through at his hands, I feel it burn throughout my frame.

The rapes, not just of body but of soul, my very life. The beatings and torture, done by hand and by tool, for which I still carry the scars. Physical abuse as well as mental. The degradation I had to go through while my human body slowly died.

Mind finally going numb, I don't even strike out at him anymore, just fall to my side and lay there, trying to pass out and give my brain some kind of peace. I get picked up gently, but I don't move.

His expecting me to fight back goes unanswered as I stay limp. My eyes are open, but I see nothing. The feeling of motion comes from a body as I'm carried, laying me on the bed. If he's still talking, I hear nothing.

Must be feeling brave though, because his face comes close to mine, giving me the strength to close my eyes. I feel a gust of air as it comes at me, but I ignore it. Leftover tears bead and fall from closed lids.

Nicolaus's hands sink into my fur, going for my ears and feet. He gets no reaction. Not even when he pinches the skin between my toes. After trying that, his hand lays on my face, brushing the drops escaping into the fur on my cheeks.

I try reaching out to my sister, needing to feel her for just a second. To know she is still alive and looking for me. I'm able to connect just enough to know she's resting.

Whispering my love to her, I let the connection fade, knowing it cost by the feel of warmth dripping from my nose. The scent of my own blood is strong as it lingers. Don't think she consciously heard me, but hopefully, she got something.

Sensing the fuss around me, I ignore it, keeping my ears and eyes closed to it all. My body and mind are so exhausted that I eventually go unconscious, barely feeling the dabs at my nose.